CATTLE HANDLING & FEED EQUIPMENT Bulk Bins
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10’ Feed Bunk All 14 Ga. Steel Construction • Cattle Working Chutes • Portable Corral Panels & Trailers • Bulk Bins • Portable Creep Feeders
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3 Ton Portable Bin • New 15” wheels • NEW 10 PLY TIRES • Jack on tongue with clevis hitch • Ground opening lid • Sight glass • Rain guard • Drop Leg on Back Sizes: 5 Ton Stationary 3 Ton Stationary and Portable 1 Ton Stationary and Portable
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HEAVY 29 Ga. METAL #1
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29 Ga. & 26 Ga. Painted CUT TO LENGTH PANELS GALVALUME METAL UNPAINTED 25 YEAR WARRANTY #1 Standard Panels, 29 Ga.
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Over Colors and Several Styles To Choose!
CALL US FOR CURRENT PRICING Reg. Pole Frame Buildings Are Heavy 29 Ga. Metal, Three 2”x6” T&G Splashboards, All Poles 5”x5” Or Larger, CCA Treated, Fully Trimmed With One 3’x6’ Walk-Through Door & One Large Sliding Door.
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2 1/2 MILES EAST OF SEYMOUR ON 60, 1/4 MILE NORTH AT AUTO SALVAGE WWW.BYLERSUPPLY.COM 877-573-9314 MON.-FRI. 7:30-5 SAT. 8-12 FAX NO. 417-935-2995 417-771-3104 VISIT US AT WWW.BYLERSUPPLY.COM
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Cultivating Healthy Soil By Cheryl Kepes
It’s never too late to improve soil One way farmers can achieve more green in their fields and in their pocket books, is to dig up some dirt – literally. Healthy soil can help farmers improve their bottom line. Experts suggest there are a variety of ways to improve soil quality. The first step to cultivating more effective soil, is a soil test. The soil test allows farmers to know exactly what they need to add in order to improve their soil quality. Once producers have the information about their soil fertility needs, they can develop a game plan. Though synthetic fertilizers are a common method to increase soil fertility, there are natural ways as well. A few options include spreading manure, planting cover crops, implementing rotational grazing and diversifying plant species. Manures are good complete fertilizers because they add micronutrients to the soil and can be economical. Manures can also help bring up low phosphorus levels. However, experts suggest testing the manure load; because the amount of available nutrients vary depending on the diet, bedding, feed and animal type. In addition, not all nutrients are available in manure the first year. “For example, only about 25 percent of nitrogen is available the first year and another
Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
25 to 50 percent is lost through volitization,” Jill Scheidt, agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, said. “Manure may not provide all the nutrients needed to produce a yield goal; therefore, additional synthetic fertilizer may be needed.” Planting cover crops serves as another avenue to improve soil health. “In a row crop situation, adding cover crops, utilizing crop rotation and using low tillage implements build organic matter over time,” Scheidt added. These practices also ward off insects, weeds and disease. In addition, livestock producers can use the cover crops as winter feed. Allowing livestock to graze cover crops adds fertility and organic matter into the soil. Livestock hoof traffic aids with incorporation of dead plant material from cover crops. The main way to cultivate soil quality with forages is maintaining a good stubble height through rotational grazing. “Plants with little growth on top, also have short root growth below the ground. In order to reduce weed pressure and maintain desirable plant persistence, don’t overgraze,” Scheidt advised. Though stubble height depends on the plant species, a good rule of thumb is no shorter than 3 to 4 inches for MARCH 29, 2021
